Or also an ancient deep water environment.

Space/Science » in reply to Sabkha or playa, take your pick...

Robert Clark — 12/14/2004 3:38:38 PM (archived)

> As its last major endeavor inside Endurance Crater,
> Opportunity made a close inspection of rock layers exposed
> in a part of the crater wall called "Burns Cliff." Dr.
> Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., principal
> investigator for the rover instruments, said, "In the lower
> portion of the cliff, the layers show very strong
> indications that they were last transported by wind, not by
> water like some layers higher up. The combination suggests
> that this was not a deep-water environment but more of a
> salt flat, alternately wet and dry."

If this was an ancient deep water site such as a lake or sea, we would expect the higher levels to reflect water driven layering. But as the water body dried up it would be more due to wind driven erosion.

Bob Clark

The whole thread (24 posts)

Sabkha or playa, take your pick... - Nick Hoffman - 12/14/2004 2:23:08 AM
- re: salt flat, alternately wet and dry - bruced - 12/15/2004 7:05:45 AM
  - More uniform than random spheres - Philip Simon - 12/16/2004 2:42:50 AM
- Slowly changing opinions, or take a deep leap. - Philip Simon - 12/15/2004 4:14:17 AM
- I pick playa. - jms - 12/14/2004 5:26:38 PM
  - re: Being the way I am, the little bitty step pyramid - BRF - 12/14/2004 6:23:22 PM
- Or also an ancient deep water environment. - Robert Clark - 12/14/2004 3:38:38 PM
- re: Compared to what? - BRFelix - 12/14/2004 3:34:24 PM
- Whoa! Frost on the solar panels? - Robert Clark - 12/14/2004 3:32:38 PM
  - Rain on the parade, but Liquid impossibility - Philip Simon - 12/15/2004 2:22:38 AM
    - At every landing site pressure NEVER fell below 6.1 mbars. - Robert Clark - 12/15/2004 2:30:16 AM
      - My mistake Bob, you're right - Philip Simon - 12/15/2004 4:27:45 AM
  - Liquid not likely - dtb - 12/14/2004 5:09:35 PM
    - re: Liquid not likely - Robert Clark - 12/15/2004 1:48:12 AM
  - re: Whoa! Frost on the solar panels? - Robert Clark - 12/14/2004 4:22:08 PM
  - re: Frost - Tom Brosz - 12/14/2004 4:21:37 PM
    - Cool, and lots more than a "few microns" - Philip - 12/15/2004 4:33:48 AM
      - re: At the time... - BRFelix - 12/15/2004 5:24:22 AM
        
        You might be seeing it now, - Philip Simon - 12/18/2004 1:43:25 AM
- re: Yup, you really got us going there. - Aunt Bea - 12/14/2004 6:37:51 AM
  - re: I suppose you have proposed better theories that have now been vindicated? - Scott Evil - 12/15/2004 6:10:17 PM
    - Better theories that have now been vindicated? - water - 12/16/2004 12:39:43 AM
  - Re: In defense of Nick... - Vince - 12/15/2004 3:02:51 AM
- So how about some speculation? - Gary - 12/14/2004 6:05:00 AM

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The whole thread (24 posts)